You became an entrepreneur because you want to change lives. You want to help people feel better and live better so they, too, can make this world an awesome place. But that’s not going to happen if you don’t have customers willing to buy the amazing things you have to offer, is it?
As Brand Strategists, we frequently get new clients who tell us they “just need more traffic” to increase their sales. While traffic does play a part, the real issue isn’t that they aren’t getting enough visitors… when we dig in, we find they aren’t getting the visitors they do have to take action.
And that’s a huge problem!
There’s actually no shortage of leads. You can turn on Facebook, Instagram, and pay-per-click ads at any time night or day, and get thousands of clicks from your ideal clients in a very short amount of time. But those numbers are worthless if your messaging doesn’t resonate with your target audience.
Here’s how it typically plays out…
Meet Bob.
Bob is tired all the time and needs to boost his energy. For the sake of this example, let’s assume you are familiar with his struggle and you have a great program that can help Bob sleep better, improve his diet, increase his fitness, and feel rested.
You’re a perfect match!
Bob stumbles across a Facebook ad for your program one evening, pauses to read it and then scrolls right on past without clicking.
What the heck?
Bob NEEDS your program!
You were made for each other!
Why isn’t he clicking?
Let’s rewind.
Bob, like most consumers, is an emotional buyer. Sure, he needs to solve his energy problem, but he’s not actually aware that he has an energy problem.
What Bob wants is to be more focused at work. He wants to be more active and engaged in his social groups. He wants to spend more time with his kids instead of crashing on the couch with the remote every evening. Bob is frustrated. He’s looking to resolve emotional pain.
He doesn’t think a “sleep program” is what he needs. Your product may be exactly what Bob needs, but the copy doesn’t connect with Bob where he’s at right this moment.
What he needs and what he wants are two different things. Bob NEEDS to sleep better and eat healthier, but what he WANTS is to have more energy to play with his kids.
Eventually, Bob may understand how your program will help him, but right now his mind is focused on his emotional pain. He’s not making the connection between his pain and your program.
You must offer Bob what he WANTS, not what he NEEDS in order to help him solve his problem.
This is the number one reason our clients struggle to get new customers.
Their messaging is emotionally disconnected!
So here’s what you need to do to bridge that gap.
The first step is to build an ideal customer profile. Now you’re probably thinking, “Hold it right there… I’ve gone through an ideal customer avatar exercise and I have a niche, but I’m still struggling so it can’t really be that easy.”
First, let me say that having a niche and identifying your customer is critical to dominating your market, so kudos to you for already achieving that step. What we’ve found from working with entrepreneurs is that many of them are just barely scratching the surface of who their client is and what they truly need. They don’t go into the deeper work. The work that actually drives the revenue.
So let’s dive in.
Take a look at your most profitable product or service and ask yourself these 3 questions:
What specific problem is your ideal customer trying to solve?
What are their actual pain points? What keeps them up at night? What does their life look like now and what do they want it to look like in the future? Describe the before and after they will experience. Include all of the physical benefits as well as emotional ones. Your customer likely has multiple issues that can be resolved with a single solution. Don’t be too clinical when answering this question. Use the words your clients speak when describing their problems.
What emotions are driving your ideal customer to take action?
In the wellness and nutrition space, a buying decision is almost always driven by pain. The client wants to lose weight, have more energy, or manage an illness or physical problem. What pain are they currently feeling that is pushing them to seek out relief? Even in the case of physical pain, there is an emotion behind it. Is it frustration? Shame? Anger? Sadness? List as many emotional drivers as possible.
Why is your product or service the best solution for your ideal customer?
People are motivated by either pain or pleasure. They want to move away from pain and towards pleasure. When describing your product or service, you’ll naturally include all the features. But you also need to point out all of the emotional benefits. Describe what your customer’s life will look and feel like after they use the product or complete the program. Use words, imagery, and colors that paint a picture or conjure up pleasant emotions such as happiness or relief. Talk about all the things they will be able to do that they couldn’t do before. Your customer isn’t looking to buy your product, they are looking to buy their future self. Help them imagine what that looks and feels like!
Now let’s go back and see how Bob reacts to a new ad, one that appeals to his emotional state…
Bob is lying on the couch, surfing Facebook on a typical Thursday night. He runs across your ad which shows a young father tossing a ball in a park with his kids. The image instantly grabs Bob’s attention because he wants that experience for himself. He starts to read the copy and sees that this program can help him create the life he wants.
He clicks.
The imagery on your site draws him in and as he reads the copy, he starts to imagine himself in that photo, tossing that ball with his kids in the park. He nods his head as he reads the benefits and begins to picture his future self after completing your program.
He WANTS that life.
Without hesitation, he makes the purchase.
You have a new lifelong customer.
And it’s not because you sold Bob on something or manipulated his buying decision just to make a few bucks. You gained a life-long customer because you helped Bob see the amazing things he can achieve with the help of your product or service. You’ve awakened his mindset to the possibilities.
You’ve changed Bob’s life, simply by changing the way you connected with him on your website. And that is the power of having the right message.